Fighting Erupts in Rival Tripoli Districts, Army Hits Back at Shooters

Clashes with light and medium caliber weapons erupted in Tripoli on Friday after two young men were beaten and stabbed while on their way to their place of residence in the mainly Alawite Jabal Mohsen district, a security source told Agence France Presse.

“Two young men were on their way to the Jabal Mohsen area minutes before iftar when they were intercepted in the area that separates Jabal Mohsen and al-Qobbeh by unknown attackers who assaulted and stabbed them,” the source said, adding that the two wounded young men were rushed to a hospital in the area.

In the wake of the incident, armed clashes erupted between gunmen stationed in al-Qobbeh and Jabal Mohsen and soon spread to the Bab al-Tabbaneh area.

The army intervened and fired back heavily at the sources of gunfire, which led to a decrease in the intensity of the clashes. However, intermittent machinegun fire could still be heard in the area.

Later on Friday, al-Jadeed television reported that two people were wounded in the clashes.